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Cultural Competence Standards in Managed Mental Health Care

From the WICHE Project Archive

Abstract

Disclaimer: The set of guidelines that are included in this document are general suggestions made by the panel for consideration by clinicians, who must continue to rely on their own professional judgment and training and the individualized assessment and needs of their patients. There is no representation here that these guidelines are appropriate for any particular patient. The panel that developed these guidelines disclaim all liability and cannot be held responsible for problems that may arise from their use.

This document was developed as a result of the separate and joint work of four national panels that were formed to develop cultural competency standards in mental health services for four racial/ethnic groups. A national panel had been created of Latino mental health professionals, families and consumers to develop cultural competence standards for Latino populations. This panel was sponsored by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) Mental Health Program and funded by the Center for Mental Health Services of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Similarly, panels to develop standards for African Americans, Native American/Alaskan Natives and Asian/Pacific Islander Americans were formed. Each panel reviewed the literature about mental health research and services pertaining to their particular racial/ethnic group. Ethnic-specific standards were developed for all four groups. During this process the four national panels began sharing ideas and materials. They met together in Washington, DC in June 1997 to reach a consensus about core cultural standards applicable to all four groups. The eventual result was the Cultural Competence Standards in Managed Mental Health Care for Four Underserved/ Underrepresented Racial/Ethnic Groups.

These standards present demographic and health profiles for each of the four major racial/ethnic groups. They also identify 16 "Guiding Principles" including those of cultural competence, consumer-driven system of care, community-based system of care, managed care, and natural support, etc. Specific standards of systems functioning and quality care are identified along with associated implementation guidelines. Appropriate performance indicators also are identified along with recommended outcomes. The document also includes a glossary.

David A. Longanecker

David A. Longanecker is the president of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education in Boulder, Colorado.

Previously he served for six years as the assistant secretary for postsecondary education at the U.S. Department of Education, developing and implementing national policy and programs that provided more than $40 billion annually in student aid and $1 billion to institutions. Prior to that he was the state higher education executive officer (SHEEO) in Colorado and Minnesota.

He was also the principal analyst for higher education for the Congressional Budget Office. Dr. Longanecker has served on numerous boards and commissions and has written extensively on a range of higher education issues.

The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education is a regional organization created by the Western Regional Education Compact and adopted in the 1950s by Western states. WICHE was created to facilitate resource sharing among the higher education systems of the West. It implements a number of activities to accomplish its objectives.

WICHE began operations in 1953 in Eugene, OR, moving to its present location in Boulder, CO, in 1955. WICHE is governed by three gubernatorially appointed commissioners from each member. Under terms of the compact, each member commits to support WICHE's basic operations through annual dues established by the full commission.

WICHE's members include 15 Western states and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (the first of the U.S. Pacific territories and freely associated states to participate).